


I Had a Dream...

by Allkindsofmadness



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But I regret nothing, F/M, Loss, Major Character Injury, Miraculous Team, Rebirth, Sadness, this makes me sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2019-11-08 13:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17982323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allkindsofmadness/pseuds/Allkindsofmadness
Summary: I Had a Dream.....That I'd have a life with you...That we'd be together one day...That I'd get to truly know you...But now, I can have none of those things.Because you're sleeping, and you might never wake up.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm a horrible procrastinator and have no plot for my other story, and my one-shots aren't cooperating, I give you this. Read at your own discretion, sadness lies ahead.

_ Blood….. _

“Ladybug? Hey, can you hear me?”

_ There was so much…. _

Hands appeared in her vision, wiping away tears she hadn’t known were there.

_ It...it wasn’t supposed to go this way. We were supposed to end it. _

A pair of arms gripped her from behind as the sounds of crying touching the edges of her senses.

This wasn’t how they planned it.

 

…..

 

_ “Hey Bug, you read me?” _

The spotted heroine smiled slightly, glancing over at her partner who was perched several yards away. _ “Loud and clear, Chaton. _ ”

_ “And everyone’s clear on the plan?” _

Rena Rouge’s voice filtered through “ _ At this point, we should be, we’ve only gone over it a thousand times.” _

Chat shrugged slightly even though the others couldn’t see it.  _ “There’s never been a case where over preparing for battle was a bad thing.” _

The silence told him all he needed to know.

They were ready.

“ _ Let’s go.” _

 

Shadows filled the large round room, lit only by the moonlight shining dimly through a large window on the wall.

One shadow moved, followed by another, crossing the room with agility and skill garnered from years of practice. Stealth was of the utmost importance so it only made sense to send the two original partners. The ones who had fought this battle the longest.

Silent, they moved in sync, never wavering from their intended target.

 

**Fwoom**

 

The air was suddenly thick with clouds of white, startling Chat into leaping several feet from his partner before realizing what they were seeing. 

"Butterflies….." His voice held an edge of horror that was reflected on his Lady's face. 

"No…." Her head whipped around as she tried to see through the masses of fluttering wings. "He's….he's not supposed to be here!" 

Carapace's voice crackled to life over their comms. "Bro, if he's there our plan's just gone to Hell in a handbasket. We need to regroup, get out of there!" 

The panic in his voice was the first thing that should've alerted them to the danger. Carapace never panicked. 

Ladybug gritted her teeth and stood her ground. 

Meeting Chat's eyes and seeing his resolve only furthered her own

"Negative Carapace, we stay. This is the only chance we have and we're taking it." 

 

More voices chimed in but they were blocked out when another spoke.

 

They had expected his voice to be booming, authoritative, so the soft, even tone that filled the room was far more chilling and unnerving to the young heroes.

“This is quite the surprise, Ladybug and Chat Noir, welcome. Forgive me if I’m not prepared to receive guests, you were rather unexpected.”

There was a slight pause and a soft shuffling that could've been footsteps.

“I’m assuming your little team is hiding around here waiting to give support.”

A large shadow moved, causing the duo to whip towards it. “They are of no concern, the more you bring the more power you place within my grasp.”

Chat couldn’t take it anymore, stepping forward as his partner grabbed his arm. “Come out of the shadows, you coward!” His voice rang through the room, disturbing the butterflies that had settled. “You’ve hidden behind closed doors and in darkness for so long, I don’t think you know what it means to face someone in the light.”

A chuckle from their nemesis along with slow claps filled the air. “So poetic, Chat Noir. A line very worthy of a hero.”

A growl rose from the throat of the leather-clad teen, but he drew up short at the sound of a muffled curse and shout before a tall figure was pushed into the pool of moonlight. 

He was instantly recognizable as their target. Another more recognizable person melted out of the shadows behind him. “Well, at least all villains are the same when it comes to talking, that never fails.” Paon Royalle feeling rather vindictive as he kicked in the backs of Hawkmoth's knees, causing him to collapse. "How does it feel to be the helpless one, O Great Villain of Paris?"

 

Three other figures stepped out behind him, fanning till they were evenly dispersed through the room.

Ladybug placed one hand on her hip, an aura of confidence and superiority oozing from her smug grin. “You’re outnumbered and outmatched, Hawkmoth, your reign of terror and control is over.”

The ever cool and collected villain nodded slowly. His countenance never wavering, somehow maintaining his unending pride, even on his knees in the dirt. “So it would seem, so it would seem.” He looked up at them with a razor sharp grin. The kind of expression that was never seen on someone who was defeated. “However…”

A choked cry pierced the air and they all whipped towards where Chat Noir stood, a blade sticking out of his side that was swiftly retracted as Hawkmoth finished speaking. “Things are never as they seem.”

 

...

 

Everything was a blur after that, her mind became hazy and she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten to this point.

Where was Chat?

Why was she crying?

She needed to get to her partner, but she couldn’t seem to move.

Her vision began to clear slowly, and the first thing she saw was the blood. On her hands, on the floor, everywhere. Lifting her head more she saw him, and her whole world tunneled into the still form lying on the floor only a few feet away.

 

“Chat…” Her voice sounded so weak, even to her own ears as she struggled to take in steady breaths. Pushing herself forward only to be stopped by the arms wrapped around her, she shoved at them while trying to stand.

Her legs weak and shaky, along with her gut being heavy with nausea from the amount of blood splattered around, the short walk over to his side seemed much longer. Pushing the others away she knelt next to the blonde that was, much to her relief, drawing raspy breaths. “Chat?” She cupped his face, leaving bloodstains on his cheeks. “Mon minou, open your eyes. Look at me.” Despite her plea, his eyes remained closed. “Come on, Chat. Please?”

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she looked up. Rena knelt next to her, her voice catching as she tried to speak.

“His transformation’s about to drop, and...and once it does….we’ve already called an ambulance, but…” she bit her lip as she paused, looking to the side where Paon knelt, putting pressure on the wound that was still bleeding profusely. “We’re not sure….if he’ll last till they get here.” Ladybug began violently shaking her head, refocusing all her attention on her partner, her tone forceful. “No, no! He’s fine, he’s going to be fine.”

A loud fast beeping cut off whatever she might’ve said after that and a green flash revealed one whom they’d known lay behind the mask for only a short time. A loud screeching had them all flinching back as Plagg emerged from the ring and shot towards his chosen’s face.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you give up, kid. You’re stronger than this!” The kwami tried to wipe the blood away from his face. Speaking in quieter tones. “Please kid, don’t give up. I did all I could to help you”

Paon grimaced as he pressed harder on the hold in his teammate's side, and without the transformation to protect him, the blonde on the floor cried out loudly.

A cry echoed him from a few feet away, where Queen Bee stood with Carapace, trying to muffle her sobbing.

Above the sounds of tears along with Chat’s ragged breaths and pained groans, Ladybug heard the sound of sirens and felt a small touch on her hand. Looking down into the face of a tiny cat god as he spoke softly.

“The ring. You need to take it, and give it back to the guardian.”

She shook her head, frowning. “Plagg, I don’t-”

He cut her off, “This isn’t the time for questions, Lady Luck. Take my ring, and give it back to the guardian. He doesn’t have much time, and we can’t afford for the hospital to get their hands on it.” He came to eye level with her. “Please, Ladybug. You need to take the ring.”

The heroine was startled to find small tears in his green eyes, so much so, that she nodded, unable to speak.

Plagg nodded back and moved away so she could fulfill her promise.

So with shaking hands, she took her partners sweat and blood slicked hand, slowly pulling the now silver ring from his finger, the kwami in front of her disappearing. Clenching it in her fist she felt the bite of the squared edges. Jerking as Paon yelled, alarmed as the figure of their friend began gasping for breath, before shuddering and growing still.

His hand, still clasped in hers, gradually going slack.

They all started moving at once but as she squeezed the limp hand tighter, one word escaped her without permission.

“ADRIEN!” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. AM. BACK. Again. For the thousandth time. Lol. Anyone crying yet? No? Allow me to fix that.

_ Six months previously…. _

 

A giggling Chat flopped down beside his Lady, who was trying and failing to look stern.

“Chat! You’re not supposed to go around dropping grapes on people!” 

The alley cat grinned up at her. “Could’ve been worse, could’ve been a watermelon.” 

She rolled her eyes, trying to conceal just how much his grin made her heart slam against her ribs. “Oh please, as if you’d go that far.”

He sat for a moment, pretending to contemplate, chuckling as she shoved him. “Oh stuff it you mangy cat.” 

He put a hand over his heart dramatically. “Meowch m’lady, I’ll have you know this cat lives in the lap of luxury.”

She side-eyed him, “Does he now?” The heroine tapped her chin. “I guess I’ll have to retract that statement, however….” She leaned closer. “Can you prove that I’m wrong?” 

He froze, stiffening slightly at both her proximity and her question. His spotted partner realized she might’ve over-stepped and started to backtrack, but before she could say a word he spoke first. 

“Just say the word…..you know I will.”

She turned her head fully towards him, taking in his slouched posture and down cast gaze. “Chat…..”

His nod was jerky. “I know….we agreed, but I can’t do this alone anymore.” He huffed a soft sigh. “I don’t want to BE alone anymore.” 

Ladybug felt a pang in her chest “Chaton, you’re never alone, You have a whole team standing beside you-”

“NO, you don’t get it!” He stood, striding a few feet away, tail flicking in an agitated manner. “You can only stand beside me when I’m in this suit, when I’m wearing a mask.” The leather-clad teen whipped around to face her, eyes luminescent in the darkness surrounding them. “I want someone to stand beside me as myself, to not have to hide anything from them.” 

She looked up at him with a wide-eyed gaze.  _ “When did he get so tall…..and so ...confident?”  _ Chat had always been brash and cocky, but a lot of that was a front to hide how unsure of himself he was, but this...this was different.

He must’ve taken her silence to mean a rejection because he started folding in on himself. “I...I’m sorry, I shouldn't've said anything. Just forget-” 

Her body moved of its own accord, throwing herself to her feet and towards him, hands outstretched and waving, as if trying to erase the words leaving his mouth. “No, no, no, Chat stop.” She couldn’t grab his hands so she settled for his forearms. “I...I want that too.” Her voice grew quieter as she spoke but his enhanced hearing caught every word. It left him gaping. 

“B-but you always said…” 

She gripped his arms tighter. “I know what I said, but,” She paused to gather her thoughts. “I don’t want to enter the last days of this fight not knowing who it is I’ve stood by all these years.” 

If their intel was right then the years long battle against Hawkmoth could be over in a matter of days. 

She met his eyes with a fierceness of her own. “Well, Chat Noir? What’s your verdict?”

A grin that could rival the Cheshire cat spread across his face as he pulled one of her hands away from where it gripped his arm and raised it to his lips. “I say, that it’s about time.” 

 

…

 

Marinette curled that same hand into a fist and pressed it against her mouth too stem the wave of tears that threatened to spill over for what seemed the hundredth time. She could still feel the phantom kiss he’d left there all those months ago. They’d revealed their identities that night, impulsive as it might’ve been neither had been able to regret it. 

The team in its entirety had shared more than one laugh over the fact that none of them had suspected anything. Nino and Alya swore they'd never let them live it down. Each teasing their respective best friends about how their crushes went around in circles, creating ridiculous ship names and talking about their futures. 

A future that might not happen.

She wished they could’ve gone back to that day, to have the knowledge that in just a few short months that happy carefree laugh might never be heard by any of them again. 

Hiccuping softly she felt the fat, wet drops flood over eyelids. Scrubbing her arm over her cheeks in an effort to hide them as she pulled her knees closer to her chest on the semi uncomfortable hospital chair. 

Too late. 

“Marinette?” 

Her mother’s soft voice broke through her nostalgic haze and she looked up as the familiar hand stroked through her hair. The warm look in her maman’s eyes made her tears spill faster down her cheeks and she sniffled loudly as a sob forced its way up her throat. 

“Oh honey, it’ll be okay. They’ll fix him good as new and he’ll be running beside you again before you know it.” 

Her daughter shook her head as she buried herself in the warm, comforting embrace. “No, he’s not okay. His heart stopped.” She wailed softly, muffled by her face being stuffed against a soft shoulder. “I felt him leave me.” 

“Shhhhh.” Sabine stroked her hair and down her back. “It’ll be okay, you’ll see.” The Chinese woman wished she could believe her own words. 

 

The other four members of team miraculous sat in various places of the waiting room. Alya holding Nino against her shoulder as he sat, a shell shocked expression on his face. Still unable to believe that his best friend was either dead or dying several corridors away. 

Chloe and Nathaniel were in a similar position a few feet away. Except Nathaniel was holding Chloe in his lap close to his chest, her wheelchair sitting stationary next to him, whispering words of comfort to each other. They all hated how helpless they were. Their teammate, their brother, was fighting to survive and there was nothing they could do. They’d faced down dozens of horrific Akuma together, yet this battle was by far the most terrifying, because they couldn’t come to his aid this time. He was all alone in this. 

 

…

 

Sometime later about half of them had exhausted themselves into a restless sleep. Marinette had long sent her mother home to rest with reasurences that she’d call if they received any news. Now she sat in silence with Alya watching over the others. Well, sitting was a generous term. She hadn’t been able to sit still for the last several hours. 

Alternating between pacing the length of the waiting room and hallways she was allowed in, then sitting and fidgeting, before repeating the cycle. Alya, bless her, hadn’t said anything. She couldn’t really complain since she wasn’t really fairing any better than her closest friend.

At the moment they were both sitting when the door slid open to reveal a frantic, disheveled young man who looked vaguely familiar but neither girl knew him. Platinum blonde with sharp features that were clouded over with worry, he spoke hurriedly with the nurses in low tones for a moment, handing over identification before being ushered through another door leading deeper into the emergency hospital. Whoever he was, she hoped he wasn’t facing the same fate beyond those doors that she was.

 

...

 

Felix was beyond beside himself.

 

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that even came close to the horrific feeling that came over him when he answered the phone at 2 am and the voice on the other end of the line told him that his only family was in major surgery after being stabbed. 

Stabbed.

His baby brother was stabbed and lying on an operating table fighting for his life.

And he had been laying in bed cursing the ringing phone and praying it would stop.

He didn’t really remember the time between dropping the phone and arriving at the hospital. Which, in hindsight, was probably not the best thing given that he had to drive there. 

The normally put together young man was striding through seemly unending hallways, forcing every ounce of his will into making the nurse go faster. Clothes wrinkled and hair in a tangled mess around his shoulders, for the first time in his adult life he couldn’t care less what he looked like. He had a feeling no one he ran into would care, especially given where he was. 

 

He spoke tersely. “What do you know so far?” 

The nurse showed no signs of his tone effecting her. “Your brother sustained a deep stab wound to the abdomen, clean through. He was DOA on the scene and has been resuscitated three times since then.” 

She paused and faced him, a serious expression on her face. “Mr. Agreste, I will be frank with you. Adrien is in a very unstable condition and has lost a lot of blood. The likelihood of him surviving is incredibly slim.”

 

Felix felt like he’d been the one stabbed. This entire thing had felt kind of like a dream, or some sort of really sick joke. But it wasn’t. 

His brother might not make it. 

His sunshine child, with a smile that could light up a room when it was genuine, might never smile again. 

He felt sick. 

Running a hand through his unkempt hair. “Is he out yet?” His voice heavy with weariness. “Can I see him?” 

The nurse shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, he’ll be in surgery for another half hour at the least. I can take you somewhere more private to wait.”

_ In case things don’t go well _

 

He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“Yes, thank you, I’d appreciate that.”

Following the middle aged woman once again, he felt like each step was harder to take. 

 

Having finally arrived at the private room, he sank down into a plush chair.  _ “Because if I’m going to suffer the wait, I might as well be comfortable while I’m doing it.” _ The blonde man thought bitterly. 

_ “Why Adri….why didn’t you tell me…”  _

The elder Agreste child put his head in his hands with a heavy sigh. Getting caught up in the memories of when he first officially met his little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing with Chloe in a wheelchair will be explained in the companion fic "Stand By Me When I Can't" that I'll be starting after I get this story settled into a good routine.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Drop a kudos or a comment! THEY GIVE ME LIFE!!!!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's doing Camp NaNoWriMo!! MEEEEEEE!! So far it's really helping me to write at least 100 words a day if not more, and it's the reason you guys get this shiny new chapter.   
> Enjoy the angst!!

_ Two years previously…. _

 

Felix stood from his seat in the semi crowded lecture hall, making his way towards the door with the rest of his fellow students, his internal monologue running constantly as people pushed past him to escape the room before the professor called them out.  _ “Not that he would,”  _ The young man thought scathingly.  _  “The dimwits probably shouldn’t even be in this class much less in a pre-law program.”  _  He huffed softly to himself as he made his way outside the building. “ _ The qualifications needed for pre-law have seriously decreased in the last few years, thankfully, I probably won’t see half these people next year. And even less the year after that.”  _

While the requirements needed to qualify for pre-law weren’t extraordinary, in order to remain a student in the program, their grades had to be exceptional. 

A fact which most of Felix’s classmates didn’t know because they didn’t pay enough attention to the orientation lecture. Alternatively they simply didn’t care, and were perfectly content wasting their rich parents money while they lived up the college life. 

The few that both knew and cared enough to make good grades, were the ones who took the class because they actually wanted to attend law school and pursue a profession, not just because it was prestigious and satisfied upper class pricks.  

_ “Prestigious my foot, if you don’t make yourself a good name you’ll never amount-”  _

“IIIEEEEEEE _ ”  _

His train of thought was quickly cut off as he crashed headlong into someone that had stopped right in front of him at the base of the steps. Said someone screeched as he fell directly on top of them. 

“ _ Him,”  _ Felix mentally corrected himself as he felt the boney masculine frame under his own. “ _ On top of him.” _

Groaning as he pushed himself up, he looked down to make sure whoever he squashed was alive. 

He was taken slightly aback as bright green eyes popped open and the guy scrambled to his feet, mouth running at a mile a minute. 

“Oh my gosh, I am so so so so sorry!” 

Felix just stood there flabbergasted. The blonde haired kid was kneeling down to collect the books he’d made the college student drop in their accidental kerfuffle and if he was being honest, he'd never heard someone talk so fast in his life. 

“-and I should’ve really been watching where I was going and I really hope I didn’t ruin any of your books!.” Standing back up after collecting the scattered literature, Motor Mouth dusted off the covers and handed them back to their owner.

“Here, you didn’t get hurt in the fall did you?” Big green eyes blinked at him as Felix struggled to formulate a response.  _ “Why are this kids eyes so unnerving? I feel like I’ve seen them before….”  _

His lack of response was starting to freak out the one who had caused the suspected injury.

“Oh crap! Did you hit your head or something? Are you in shock?! How many fingers am I holding up?” The young blonde was panicking as he stuffed the older boy’s books into their rightful bag. “Here, I’ll take you to the campus nurse.” Grabbing on to Felix’s arm and wrapping it around his own neck. The kid, Felix was slowly starting to recognize, began pulling him onward. A single thought pierced his consciousness that was rapidly growing fuzzier. “ _ Adrien?”  _

 

_ … _

 

A soft chuckle passed Felix’s lips as he leaned back in his seat. His baby brother was such a spaz when they first met, he never seemed to shut up. That fact hadn’t really changed much over the past few years. 

But now…. 

The elder Agreste dropped his head into his hands. Now he would give anything to hear the boundless chatter rather than sitting in the unending silence. 

 

……

 

Marinette sat staring down the hallway where the two figures had disappeared, lost in her own head, she struggled to recall the events of a few hours prior. 

 

The time between Adrien getting stabbed, and her kneeling on the floor staring at him, it was all a big fog. Trying to make anything out was nearly impossible. 

It was just gone. 

 

She looked over at Alya, hoping to find answers from her best friend, but it seemed the battle had taken its toll on the young woman. She sat propped against her boyfriend, eyes closed in apparent slumber. 

A soft sigh passed Marinette's lips, but as she turned back towards the front of the room she caught another set of eyes. 

 

Ocean teal nearly obscured by bright red hair, Nathaniel was watching from his position next to Chloe.  

Knowing her as well as he did, being friends since childhood, he could read her like a book. 

His eyes held gentle sympathy as he patted the seat next to him in clear invitation. 

  
  


"Nath…." her voice trailed off. She had countless questions, but once she was sitting next to him, she couldn't seem to voice any of them. 

"How much do you remember?" His tone was low, both to keep from disturbing the blonde sleeping with her head pillowed on his leg. And also to ensure the night staff, and a few other patients that lingered, wouldn't overhear. 

Marinette shook her head. "Almost nothing, I blanked out right after he was-" Her voice caught on the lump in her throat, making it difficult to say more, but that was enough for her friend to understand. 

"We were all caught off guard by that. No one expected for him to have an accomplice." 

 

…..

 

_ " _ CHAT!" Screams came from several spots around the circular room as several more figures threw themselves out of the shadows. 

The Black Cat recovered his wits and snapped his foot back, into the shin of whoever was holding the sword in his side. His assailant cursed violently as they shoved him forward, retracting the blade. 

The magic in the suit began to slowly knit itself around the wound, but that wouldn't be enough and Chat knew it. But regardless of the pain, they had a job to do. 

Queen Bee shrieked in fury as she plowed into her teammate's attacker head on, throwing them bodily to the floor. 

One down.

"Paon!" 

The Peacock based hero whipped his head around, strands of bright red hair swinging in front of an indigo mask. "I got him." He held Hawkmoth down, one booted foot against the villain's neck. 

That made two. 

However his blood ran cold at the sound of the Butterfly's voice. 

"Did you really think that you could come into a place that I inhabit, and still leave with your lives?" 

As he spoke the butterflies still swarming the room began to take on the swirling black and purple color of an akuma.

 

Ladybug was still on the other side of the room from her partner, fighting her way through the clouds of fluttering wings. 

As they began to change color the heroine began to feel like she'd been fighting for hours. Her strength seemed like it was being leached from her very pores, causing her to sink slowly to her knees. 

 

Chat was not faring much better than the others. The moment he was touched by one of the Akuma, the last precious bit of his strength left him and he collapsed.

 

"Chat…." 

Her voice was so small and fragile it hurt to hear it.

All around, her teammates that came in contact with the tainted magic were falling into the same state. 

 

"You WITCH!! You EVIL, HORRIBLE-" 

Her voice cut off but it appeared that up until that point Queen Bee hadn't been touched. But it became clear she was felled by her opponent when a hooded figure stepped out of the shadows, walking towards where Paon stood. Guarding their long time enemy 

It was clear the Peacock was feeling the same effects as the rest, but Paon Royal also knew that if he fell, so would their mission. 

 

"I see the little bird has a strong will." The hooded accomplice purred, her voice clearly feminine. "But not strong enough I'm afraid." 

The Akuma surrounded him, and with a strangled scream, their last defense fell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!   
> Please leave a kudos or comment! They mean so much to me!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Camp NaNo I've got a ton of stuff for I had a Dream now! Unfortunately it's all stuff that comes later so I'm still lagging a bit in updates...

Chat knew the moment the Akuma touched him that he had most likely just fought his last battle. 

All the strength he had left drained out of him in almost an instant, turning his legs into the same consistency of cooked pasta. 

He heard the low thud as his body met the floor, but it was muted by the blood roaring through his ears. His side felt like he was stabbed all over again and a gurgling scream left his mouth, blood splattering across the floor in front of him. 

Blood pooling under him as his suit began to unravel once again, he struggled to make sense of the scenes playing before his eyes. 

_ Ladybug? _

Where was she? 

He could see Paon writhing on the floor, mouth opened in a soundless scream as the Akuma seemed to flock towards him. 

 

He had to help, had to get to his friend. His teammate. But...he felt so weak.

Chat struggled to move, slowly dragging himself forward. A streak of crimson trailing in his wake. 

He only managed to make it less than a foot before the pain in his side intensified and he tried to cry out. The only sound that came was a wet, raspy cough. More blood dribbling from his mouth.

Major organ damage, he’d been in enough fights to know what the symptoms were. 

He knew the chances were slim that he’d walk out of this one. 

Where was his Lady? 

He needed to see her. 

Tell her how sorry he was that they wouldn’t get to have everything they’d dreamed about. 

His vision started to blur around the edges and he looked up just in time to see the only two figures left standing walk away and the fluttering Akuma faded in the wake of their departure. 

Chat struggled to call out to his teammates once more. Finally managing a few gurgled words. 

“M’....Lady…” He gasped with the effort it took and tried to crane his head, searching for his lady love. 

 

“Chat?”

His whole body sunk on the floor in relief. She was there, she was okay.

 

Soft hands found their way onto his face and turned it so he could see her. She smiled softly even though her face was streaked with tears and he could feel her hands trembling as they stroked his hair aside. 

“Hey there, mon Minou.” He felt a tear drop onto his cheek. “Help is coming, you just need to hold on. Please, Chaton.” Her voice shook as she tried to keep calm. 

Chat tried to crack a smile for her and opened his mouth to attempt a pun but only managed more spluttering, spraying his blood onto Ladybug’s face. He internally winced at the mess. 

“M’....m’ sor..ry.”

His partner was quick to reassure him “No no, it’s okay. Just relax.” He managed a head shake. “M’...sorry…..never got...say…” Her expression turned panicked as she realized what he was trying to do . “Don’t you dare say goodbye, Chat!” She shook her head violently. “You’re gonna be okay, you can tell me later.”

The Black Cat stubbornly persisted, his vision was dark around the edges. “Love….you.”  

  
  


…….

 

Nathaniel was looking down at the blonde in his lap, running his fingers through her hair. “You went hysterical after that.” He explained softly. “Screaming, crying, we had to pull you away when you started trying to shake him.” 

Marinette stared blankly at the wall in front of her.

How do you process what were possibly the last moments of your best friend’s life. 

He told her he loved her.

Adrien Agreste loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And he might never wake up for her to say it back. 

 

“I….I can’t….” Tears dripped softly down her face. No sobbing, no noises of grief. 

Just simple quiet tears. 

She had no words that would even begin to sum up anything going through her head at that moment. 

Nath placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Mari. You don’t need to have any answers right now.” He gave her a sad smile. “I just know that he would’ve wanted someone to tell you.” 

Marinette returned his smile as best she could, lower lip trembling slightly as she placed a hand over his. “Thank you, Nath.” She tried to gather herself  as she slid from the seat. “I think I’m gonna…” She gestured to the hallway before turning and walking swiftly away

 

………….

  
  


Felix practically lept up when the door opened and a male doctor in scrubs walked in. Every fibre of his being practically vibrating with nervous energy.”

“How is he?”

The doctor smiled tightly. “He’s out of surgery and is being moved to a private room for observation.” 

Felix narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t tell me anything about how he’s doing.” 

He nodded in assent. “If you’ll follow me, the nurses are getting him set up in a room. You’ll be able to see him in a moment.”

 

Footsteps echoed as they walked towards the elevator, staff bustling around as the shift changes were in full swing. Felix bristled slightly at all the bodies moving around in close quarters near their intended destination. The last thing he wanted right now was to be on a crowded elevator making contact with people. The only person he wanted to be around right at that moment was Adrien. 

The doctor he was following didn't seem too pick up on the tension radiating off the young man following him as he spoke. 

"I'm Dr. Isenburg, I'll be your brother's primary physician for the duration of his stay. If you have any concerns or questions regarding his car please don't hesitate to ask." 

Felix nodded tightly as they entered the elevator, which was less crowded than he'd thought it would be, but no less irritating with people being well inside his preferred bubble of space. 

The ride was severely uncomfortable and he bolted out the moment the doors opened. Him brow furrowed as he waited for Dr. Isenburg to exit. 

 

It took only moments after that too reach the room where Adrien lay sleeping. 

Felix froze at the door, unable to do more than stare at the figure that, despite being nearly 6 feet in height and packing a solid amount of muscle, looked so small and frail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> Please leave a comment or kudos to feed the hungry author.
> 
> See you next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo.....yeah....I'll just, go hide. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Hiding. 
> 
> If you're feeling particularly inclined, drop a kudos or a comment. They make my day.


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